On SuperBowl Sunday I decided to try something new. I mean, if my New Orleans Saints could not only get to the big game, but could win it to boot, I could do whatever I wanted to do with my hair, right?! I went to the beauty supply store and bought some "hot dog" rollers (or at least that's what I call them since that's what the mid-sized ones look like to me). I carefully set my hair and sat under the dryer for about an hour. Once my hair was dry, I slowly removed the rollers, pulled apart my curls, and fell in love. Was this what my hair will look like when I'm completely natural?! I was excited.

Our guests had already began to arrive, so I took one last glance in the mirror and headed downstairs to be a gracious, and curly-headed, hostess. The first person to lay eyes on me was my brother-in-law, who has been a staple in my family for the past 15 years and is the brother I never wanted (although I love him anyway). He took one look at my hair and said, "Oh Lord!" as he burst into laughter. I was furious! How dare he! But then I had to remember where the comment was coming from, so I regrouped. He's an idiot; I don't listen to him!

The man who matters hadn't seen me yet and I couldn't wait to see his reaction. My husband's eyes lit up when he saw me. I had basically banned him from the bedroom while I worked on my head, so he had no real idea of what I was doing. But the expression on his face said everything I needed to know -- he loved it too! He kept touching it and telling me how good I looked. This was a completely different reaction than the one I had gotten when I did my twist out. There was no look of uncertainty or hesitation in his voice when I asked him what he thought. He was clearly into my new look!

That was almost four weeks ago and I've been sure to roll my hair every weekend since. My husband's apparent adoration for this style has not dimmed since the first time he saw it. He still plays with the curls and remarks on how nice he thinks the style is on me. I am now 16 weeks into my transition and I think I've finally won him over on the going natural issue!